Faking It For Fame
by School Idol
Summary: Yazawa Nico and Nishikino Maki had no intentions of being friends. They were rivals, and it was going to stay that way - until, they're told to date for publicity. It's all acting at first, but things start to change when both girls think they may start to be developing feelings for the other girl. Many ships, main is NicoMaki. Rated T just in case.
1. Maki's Rival

**Please note that in this story, Maki is 22 and Nico is 24.**

**A/N at end ;**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 - Maki's Rival<strong>

Lightly glossed lips curved upwards at the sight of the magazine cover. Maki slowly picked up the flimsy magazine, her smile growing slightly bigger. She was on the cover in a red-and-green Christmas outfit, holding a small present against her chest. Her smile made her look innocent, but her entrancing violet eyes made her look a little daring at the same time. After staring at the cover for a little while, she flipped to the page with her interview on it. She remembered answering all the questions with a smile. After skimming through it, she closed the magazine and set it back down on the bookstore rack. As soon as she turned around, she was greeted by the sight of a short girl, with sunglasses, raven black hair in pigtails, and a tan coat on. The girl didn't seem very happy, but Maki just assumed she was shy. She figured it was one of her younger fans, so she bent down and tilted her head at the girl.

"Hello, little girl! Would you like my autograph?" she said sweetly.

"Never." the girl replied. Maki was shocked, and she made a puzzled face. "I'm just here to warn you. You're about to lose your spot in the entertainment world."

The crimson-haired idol was offended, and she stood up straight. Her expression went from puzzled to angry. "Excuse me? I'm not gonna let a 10 year-old tell me what's going to happen to my career. If you have nothing else to say, I'm leaving!" she turned to leave, but the girl grabbed her wrist. She turned to look at her, teeth clenched and eyebrows furrowed. "What is it now?!"

"Hey, I'm not 10, I'm older than you, in fact! Also, I'm not finished. I'm about to tell you _who _is going to be the one to steal your spot in the entertainment world, your fame, all your opportunities, it's all gonna be taken by one person. And that person is..." the girl twirled around, throwing off her sunglasses in the process. When she was facing Maki again, she had a big smile on her face. "Me! Nico Nico Ni! Yazawa Nico is going to spread love and joy all around the world!" She held up her index, pinky, and thumb on both hands. After holding it for a few seconds, Nico dropped the pose, and her smile was replaced with a smirk. "Do you understand, Nishikino Maki? The person that is going to take everything you worked so hard for away from you, is me!"

Maki stood there, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. She was pulled out of her shock state when Nico teasingly said, "Close your mouth, you'll catch flies~!" The redhead angrily held up her fist. She wanted to punch Nico - really, _really _badly. But she couldn't. She was a star. If someone were to even find out about this little argument, she would get trouble for it, and she didn't even want to imagine what she would get if she punched the girl. So, instead, she took a deep breath and put her fist down at her side. "Listen, Yazawa-san, the entertainment world is not easy. I've been doing it since I was 18, it took me years to get to where I am now. You're not going to just barge in and take everything away from me. Besides, you have way more rivals than me, you know that? I shouldn't be the only one you're talking to. Now, I'm leaving. I wish you luck in the entertainment business, Yazawa-san."

With those last few words, Maki turned and walked off, praying that no one saw that.

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><p>Her praying didn't work. Merely three days later, it was all over magazines and the news. <em>Nishikino Maki and Mystery Girl in a Heated Argument!<em> Behind the words was a picture of an angry-looking Maki and a smirking Nico. Maki's manager, Tojo Nozomi, was the one showing her the magazine. They were in Nozomi's office at Muse Agency. When Maki threw her head back and sighed heavily, Nozomi chuckled a little and set the magazine down on her desk. "Maki...I told you when I began being your manager. There's no reason to be worried! It's publicity, anyways! Besides, all stars get stuff like this when they're popular - it's a sign that you're a huge star!" Maki was about to say something, but then Nozomi's phone rang. Maki's head returned to it's normal position, and she looked at Nozomi pick it up. "Hello?"

"**Nozomi! Turn your TV on, and turn it to channel 4! Make sure Maki watches too!**" the voice was so loud, even Maki could hear it. It was the head of Muse Agency, Sonoda Umi, who managed a popular unit called KotoHono.

"Uh...alright..." the purple-haired woman replied, and hung up. She picked up the TV remote and turned on the TV that was on the right wall. It was already on channel 4 when she turned it on. Both girls in the office turned their heads to the TV. On the TV was...Nico! Maki and Nozomi's faces both look shocked.

The interviewer was smiling widely. "So, Nico-chan, it really was fate that we saw you on the street! Before that argument, no one even knew who you were so we couldn't just call you, aha! Now, why don't you formally introduce yourself to all the viewers watching!" he held out the mic to Nico, who smiled and took it.

She stood up and looked directly at the camera. She held out the hand she wasn't holding the mic with, and pointing at the camera. "All you viewers, I, Yazawa Nico, am going to fill this world with smiles, happiness, love, and joy! I'm an idol, but I currently do not have a manager so I'm open to all offers!" she gave an innocent look and smile, making Maki angry since she knew she was anything but innocent. So this was the idol image she was going to create. "So, when you see me, remember to wear a bright smile on your beautiful face? And always remember to..." she twirled around in a similar fashion to the way she twirled around her first encounter with Maki, "Nico Nico Ni!" she gave a toothy smile and held up her index, pinky, and thumb again. After holding it for a few moments, she dropped the pose but a small smile remained on her face. She sat back down on the couch next to the interviewer.

"Nico-chan, you're super cute! So, everyone knows about the argument, but no one knows what it was about. What exactly were you guys arguing about?" the interviewer looked genuinely interested.

"I'll be honest with you, I was the one who provoked it - but Nico-chan didn't mean to start such a thing! I was just giving Maki-chan a fair warning!" she said innocently, a pout apparent on her face.

"Fair warning? Tell us more!

"You see, I was just warning Maki-chan that I was about to make my debut, and that I might end up stealing her spot in showbiz! I was just trying to be nice, honestly! Maki-chan just got a little bit too angry..." she looked down at her lap, faking a sad look. "Truth is, I wanted to be Maki-chan's friend, but it doesn't seem like that's possible now..." Maki began to grit her teeth. This girl was beginning to infuriate her, and it almost seemed like she knew Maki was watching and she was doing it on purpose to piss her off. If that was true, it definitely worked.

"Aww...Maki-chan, won't you be this poor, sad girl's friend?" the interviewer said while looking at the camera. They had to know she was watching. Angrily, Maki stood up and walked over to the TV. She had had enough. She pressed the power button on the side of TV, and went to sit back down.

"It's all lies, and I'm not gonna listen to anymore of her garbage!" she sat back down slowly and looked at Nozomi worriedly. "Nozomi, what is this going to do to my fame? More importantly, is Nico really gonna take my spot in showbiz?"

"I-I'd like to say no, but now I'm not sure...Maki-chan, d-do your best!" she gave a weak smile and a thumbs up.

"Nozomi!"

Suddenly, the door opened. It was Umi. "Maki, don't worry about it. I have two ideas." Umi took her phone out of her pocket and dialed someone's number. "I think they'll fix a lot of things."

Maki was curious. "Who are you calling?"

"The TV station. The program was really short, and it just ended. I need to talk to Nico before anyone else does." she held the phone up to her ear. "Hello? Channel 4? Yes, I am Sonoda Umi, my girls from KotoHono were on your show just last week. I would like to talk to Nico. Yes, thank you." she took it away from her ear and put the phone on speaker, light music playing. "Maki, I want Muse Agency to produce Nico. Before freaking out, allow me to explain why." she paused to give her time to respond.

The idol just looked at her for a few moments, but when she registered what Umi had just said, she stood up and immediately walked over to her. "Umi, what do you mean?! I can't be in the same agency as Nico!"

"Maki, think about it for a second. If you two are in the same agency, people will see you less as rivals, and more as friends. It'll do good for you - and her too, but that doesn't matter right now. But, I think we should end all talk about this argument in order for you two to be successful. If she joins, then that's where the second idea would come in, but obviously we need her to join first."

"What's the second idea?" Maki asked.

"You'll find out soon." The light music playing from the phone halted, so Umi picked it up. "Hello?"

There was a pause. "T-this is really head of Muse Agency, Sonoda Umi? Are you going to ask to produce me?"

Umi nodded, even though Nico couldn't see her. "Yes. We here at Muse Agency would like to produce you. In fact, there's a new producer here who needs someone to produce. I think you'd be perfect for her. Now, if you accept, then-"

"I accept, I accept!" Nico interrupted. "I'll be there right away!" With that, Nico hung up.

Umi sighed and closed her phone, but she smiled right after. "Looks like we got her." she said while stuffing the phone back in her pocket.

"Okay, enough with that! What's this idea you were talking about?"

"I think it'd be best to tell you when Nico is here. All you can do is wait for her to arrive." So, Maki waited.

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><p>With the TV station not being far from Muse Agency HQ, Nico arrived rather quickly. Umi went down to the lobby to greet her, and left Nozomi and Maki to wait. Both of them were nervous, but Maki was more nervous. This idea obviously involved her. What exactly did Umi have up her sleeve? What did she have in store for the two girls? The idol sat in the chair, both hands neatly resting in her lap and her foot tapping quickly on the floor. Singing lyrics of her songs always seemed to help her calm down, so that's exactly what she did. Quietly, she sang the words of her song <em>Aishiteru Banzai<em>. As she muttered the lyrics under her breath, Nozomi was having her own thoughts. Umi was a lady who got what she wanted, and that's what made her the perfect person to lead an agency - but, sometimes her ways of getting what she wanted were questionable. She could only close her eyes and imagine what she had in store for Maki and Nico. As the girls tried to help themselves calm down, the door swung open.

Both of them quickly directed their attention at the door, Umi and Nico standing in the doorway. A second later, a woman with blonde hair put in a ponytail joined them. Neither Nozomi or Maki knew them, but Nozomi seemed to be entranced by her. Her eyes only followed the new face as they walked in and sat down on the couches near the door. She was brought out of her trance when the woman spoke. "Hello, ladies. I'm a new producer here at Muse Agency, Ayase Eli. I'm Russian, but I've been here in Japan for a very long time. Please take care of me." she stood and bowed, a smile on her face.

For a few moments, Nozomi just stared at her, but then she quickly stood up to greet her. "A-ah, nice to meet you!" she bowed in front of her. "I'm Tojo Nozomi, a producer here at Muse Agency. I've been here for five years now! This here is the person I manage and produce, Nishikino Maki!"

"Nice to meet you." Maki said with a smile after standing up and bowing.

"It's nice to meet all of you!" Eli replied cheerfully, sitting down on the couch once again. Nozomi grabbed Maki's hand before she could sit down again and pulled her over to the couches, where they both sat down.

Umi smiled. "Well, now that we're all acquainted, I would like to present my idea." her smile left her face, and her look was replaced with a serious one. "My original idea was to have you two, Nico and Maki, form a unit together. However, later I realized it would be weak. Everyone would think you guys only formed your unit for publicity, and to look like you guys didn't hate each other. So, I thought of another one - a better one. You two, don't freak out." Both Nico and Maki nodded. "Nico, Maki, I want you two to date."

"WHAT?!" the two girls said in unison. "YOU WANT _**US **_TO DATE?!" Nozomi and Eli were equally shocked, but they didn't say anything.

"Haha, even though I said don't freak out, I knew you two would react that way." her smile returned. "I don't want you two to date for real - you guys just have to fake it. It'd have a better impact than just forming a unit, you know? Both of you will get publicity, more opportunities, and more fans for sure. And who knows, maybe you two could form a unit in the future. But," her smile dropped again. "the fact that your relationship is fake must stay between you guys. You may tell people at Muse Agency and people you trust, but that's it. No one, _no one, _else can know. If you tell even one wrong person, this whole plan would be ruined."

The two girls didn't even respond. Both of their eyes and mouths were wide, and they slowly looked at each other. "YOU WANT ME TO DATE...**_HER?_**" Umi nodded.

"It would look too suspicious for you two to start dating right after the recent events, however, so you must slowly build up your _fake _relationship." the blue-haired woman made sure to emphasize the word fake. "I'm going to ask Channel 4 to feature you two on TV soon. I want you two to apologize to each other, make up, and hug each other. All on-screen." Umi looked at Maki. "Maki, I know you may not want to, but you need to if you don't want to lose everything you worked so hard to gain."

"I-I...I can't...Umi..." Maki sighed and admitted defeat. "Fine. If it'd help my career, then I'll do it. I'll do my best in my fake relationship with Nico..."

"I'll do even better!"

"If you guys are gonna do this, you can't try to best each other like that. Anyways, I'm going to see if you can appear on the Christmas Eve special on Channel 4. They'll most likely say yes, and today's the 20th, so you better prepare for your acting roles." she stood up. "I'm counting on you guys." With those words, she left the room.

The four ladies were still in shock. Both Nozomi and Eli snapped out of it at the same time. "G-girls, do your best!" Nozomi placed a hand on Maki's shoulder.

"Yeah!" Eli did the same with Nico.

Neither of them responded. They just glared at each other. 'Fake dating her?' both girls thought. Neither of them wanted to do it, but backing down would make them look weak in front of the other. They had no choice. The two girls had no idea what Umi's strange idea would lead up to at the time, and how it would change their lives for the better.

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><p><strong>Hello, and thank you for reading Chapter 1 of Faking It For Fame! I'm on winter break at the moment, so I'm going to try to write as much as possible! I honestly wanted to write for another pairing, but it only seemed to fit NicoMaki. It'll probably attract more readers though, at least. I hope you guys stick around for the entire story!<strong>


	2. Nico's Training

**For their practice outfits, it's the same as in the anime.**

**A/N at the end ;**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 - Nico's Training<strong>

The day after, Umi summoned the two girls and their managers to her office. She had a wide smile on her face as soon they walked in. She allowed all four of them to sit down, then she began to speak. "Girls, good news! I just heard back from Channel 4, and they want you to appear on their Christmas Eve special! But, there's one other thing..." Umi chuckled lightly before continuing on. "You see, they want you two to perform together at the end of the show after KotoHono. Even if you didn't, I'm sure they'd still let you appear, but I think this would be a good thing for you two. I already have the song, you two need to practice it. It's the 21st though, so you only have three days...but I believe you two can do it! Here's the song." she said, handing each girl including the managers a piece of paper with the lyrics to a song called _Diamond Princess no Yuutsu._

"Umi, it's a nice song and all, but can we really learn this in three days?" Nico said, a worried look apparent on her face.

"I can." Maki said quickly, a smirk on her face. "Did you know I had to learn_ Aishiteru Banzai_ in a day for my debut concert? Three days is nothing to me. But, if it's too much for you..." she looked into Nico's eyes.

"W-what?! Of course I can! I'll memorize these lyrics and sing them perfectly in no time." she smirked. It faded within a few seconds. "But...but..." she looked down at her lap.

Eli looked at Nico, concerned. "What is it, Nico?" she asked, placing a hand on her back and rubbing it slowly and gently.

The raven-haired girl slowly looked up, and it was obvious tears were forming in her eyes. "I-I didn't want to say it, but...I have to if I want to perform without embarrassing myself! The truth is, I'm..." she paused. "I'm terrible at dancing! I'm great at singing, but I'm terrible at dancing! I knew I would fail as an idol, but I really wanted to be one! All I've done so far is mimicked popular idols' dancing, but even with all the step-by-step videos, I'm absolutely horrible at dancing!"

Maki wanted to laugh. She _really _wanted to laugh. Her cheeks puffed out and she covered her mouth as she tried to hold it in. She wants to be an idol, but she can't even dance, Maki thought, that's really pathetic! After a few moments, she just couldn't hold it in anymore and she began to laugh extremely hard. "Ni...Nico..." she said in between laughs. "wants to be an idol but she can't dance! That's the definition of pathetic right there! And...and...you can't even do it right with step-by-step videos! That just adds onto the stupidness!" she laughed so hard, her stomach began to hurt and tears were beginning to come out. Everyone in the room just stared at her. When Nico had had enough, she stood up and walked over to Maki. Maki stopped for a second and held in her laughter best she could, but she still had a wide grin on her face. "W-what is it?"

Nico crossed her arms. "I don't know why you're laughing! If we go on stage together and I dance the way I do now, it's not just gonna ruin my reputation, but the both of us!" she gave a toothy smirk and bent over so she was face-level with the sitting Maki. "So if you don't want to be embarrassed and get your reputation ruined, you better help me..."

"Damn it..." the redhead muttered. Nico was right. If they went on stage together, Maki would look like a fool. She stood up. "Fine, then. We're going to train! However, we need the dance. Umi?"

"Yes. The choreographer is on her way. You guys should change into your practice outfits." the two girls nodded and left the room to change.

Nozomi and Eli watched them leave, then looked at each other. They both began to chuckle. "Are they really going to be okay?" Eli wasn't really expecting an answer.

"Who knows?"

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><p>The choreographer was standing in Muse Agency's practice room, waiting for the two girls. She was a brunette and had golden brown eyes. The two girls couldn't help but notice how similar she noticed to Minami Kotori. "Hello, girls." she said with a smile. "I'm Choreographer Minami, please just call me Minami-san."<p>

"W-wait...you're Kotori's mother?!" Maki said, surprised.

"Yep. I choreograph all of KotoHono's dances too." her smile dropped. "However, my daughter can tell you that I'm a very tough choreographer. If you don't do a move perfectly, then I'm not letting you leave this practice room. Now, I suggest you stretch before dancing."

Both Nico and Maki went to the corner of the room to stretch. As they were stretching their legs, Nico leaned in and whispered, "Maki, I'm scared. She won't let us make even the slightest mistake, and with my dancing I'm going to make a ton of mistakes." she looked into Maki's eyes, a worried look on her face. Maki was almost beginning to feel bad for her, but her pride wouldn't let her comfort her. The redhead stood up and crossed her arms.

"Listen, Nico. I don't care if you don't learn the dance by Christmas Eve. That either means I would perform alone, or we don't perform at all. Even though there would only be a chance the first one would happen, I still want to take that chance. So if you think you can't do it, it's fine with me. In a solo performance, everyone would be looking at me alone, and not you and me." she twirled a strand of her crimson locks. "If you don't want that to happen, you better learn how to dance soon. Also, I'm finished stretching and ready to begin learning the dance, so hurry up, would you?" she walked to the middle of the room.

"I-I was just about finished when you started saying all that random stuff! Hmph!" the new idol stood up and joined Maki in the middle of the room. I can't believe I expected her to comfort me, Nico thought, but I guess it's my fault for being stupid. Choreographer Minami walked over to them, and their lesson began.

Nico fell, turned and twirled when she wasn't supposed to, stepped on Maki's feet, almost tripped Maki, and many other things. When the choreographer had had enough of it, she sighed. "You girls, take a break. I need to figure out how to handle it. I don't know how long I'll be gone, so practice to ensure we don't waste time." Both Nico and Maki knew _it _was Nico's dancing ability. The choreographer headed for the door and exited the room, leaving the two girls in the room alone. Nico immediately went to the corner of the room and sat down, panting loudly and resting her hands on both knees. They'd both been dancing for the same amount of time, two hours, but Maki barely worked up a sweat. She just went over to her bag, got out a bottle of water, and began to drink just so she could stay hydrated. Nico looked at Maki weirdly. She knew she had been doing this for a long time, but she didn't even look like she was tired. How is that even possible?, Nico thought. She was even more puzzled when Maki began to walk over to her. What does she want now?, she thought.

"N-Nico...I would like to go on stage by myself, but...I can't stand to see you dance like that. I know showbiz is hard, and this performance on Channel 4 would do you a lot of good and get you more fans...so..." she bent over and stretched out her hand, waiting for Nico to take it. "I-I'll help you, okay? Now, hurry up before I change my mind about this, o-okay?" Maki was looking anywhere in the room but at Nico, and her face was a shade of pink.

Shocked by Maki's actions, the idol sitting on the ground didn't know how to react at first. Slowly, she stretched out her own hand and placed it in Maki's, standing up and not letting go. Her hand felt nice, soft, and warm. When Maki finally looked at Nico, they just stared at each other for a few moments. Then, they finally realized what position their hands were in. Quickly, they both jerked their hands back at the same time, looking at each other angrily. "Why'd you hold my hand for so long?! You're supposed to let go as soon as you stand up!" Maki snapped.

Nico crossed her arms. "_You _didn't let go either, so this is your fault too, idiot!" she snapped back. "Forget about this, let's go and practice so I can do it better when Minami-san gets back!"

"Whatever!" Both girls walked to the middle of the room, and Maki turned to Nico. "You got it wrong from the first step, but I don't think Minami-san noticed. You're supposed to outstretch your leg to the right and use your toes for balance, but you're just stepping out."

"I-I am?" Their practice session began.

Choreographer Minami returned about an hour after they started practicing, and she sighed as soon as she entered the room because she still hadn't thought about how to help Nico. Her sigh wasn't heard over the sound of the off vocal for _Diamond Princess no Yuutsu. _She looked at Nico and Maki dancing in the middle of the room. They were both singing and dancing with wide smiles, and Nico wasn't making any mistakes at all. Plus, the two girls were perfectly in sync. Her shocked look left her place, and she smiled as she leaned against the wall watching the girls. When the song was over, they hit the ending pose perfectly, smiles still on their faces. Choreographer Minami clapped loudly, making the girls look over at the door. "Minami-san..." they said in unison.

The choreographer walked over to Nico and Maki, still clapping quietly. "Good job, girls. Maki, you taught her well, apparently. You guys were perfectly in sync as well. You two are the perfect partners!"

The two girls were both about to thank the lady for her kind words, but then they realized what the last thing she said was. Their smiles left their faces and they were replaced with angry ones. "We are not the perfect partners!" they said loudly in unison.

Nico pointed at Maki. "Perfect partners, with her? Half of the practice session was just her barking at me until I got it right! Plus, she's so, so, _so _annoying! She's anything but the Scarlet Princess fans see her as!"

"Same with her! That Nico Nico Ni act is all fake, and she gives me anything BUT happiness and smiles!" Maki pointed at Nico.

The two girls' bickering just made Minami laugh. "Haha, you two really are the perfect partners. After all, you two are close enough to argue."

"Close enough to argue...?" both girls muttered. Then, they both shook their heads.

"Whatever you say, girls!" she replied with a chuckle. "Anyways, I'll go tell Umi that you too have already mastered the dance. It's only been three hours too, you two are amazing!"

Nico and Maki couldn't help but look at each other and smile. "We did good, didn't we?" Nico chuckled. Maki replied with the nod of her head.

"We really did."

* * *

><p>December 24th quickly arrived, and it was time for the Christmas Eve special at 3pm. The special would last three hours, so they wouldn't be out of there until around 6pm. They were there at 2 though, getting ready for their appearance since their interview was the first part of the special. They both sat in chairs while sitting still, as the makeup artists applied makeup to their faces. When they were done, it was around 2:45 so they still had fifteen minutes. Nico came up with the idea of practicing the song one last time before going on stage, so she and Maki went to a room of the TV studio and began to practice. About halfway through the dance, Nico turned her foot out the wrong way and fell to the ground. Usually she would just get back up, but Maki was concerned since she stayed on the floor looking down. She bent down. "A-are you okay Nico?"<p>

"I don't think so...my ankle hurts really badly. I know I twisted it the wrong way, but I didn't expect it to be that bad!" Nico held her ankle in pain, tears forming in her eyes. "Ow...ow..."

The door of the room swung open, a person part of the crew entering. "Girls, showtime is in five min- what's wrong?" he walked over to Nico.

Maki spoke for Nico, who was apparently in too much pain to do it. "You see, we were practicing in here, and then about halfway in Nico fell. That's why her ankle is in so much pain."

The worker nodded, and then pressed a button on the side of the headphones with a mic he wore on his head. "We need a medic in room A134. Thank you." he let go of the button and looked at Nico. "Help will be here soon." Weakly, Nico nodded.

About a minute later, the door bust open, Umi, Eli, Nozomi, and KotoHono rushing in, two medics coming in after the ladies. Umi and Eli immediately joined Nico's side on the floor. "Nico, you're gonna be fine, okay?! We just need someone to look at the problem!" Umi exclaimed. Eli nodded in agreement. Nozomi and KotoHono looked worried too, but they didn't say anything. Though she didn't show it, Maki was most likely the most worried out of them.

The medics both looked at Nico's ankle, touching it gently. "Tell me if this hurts, okay?" one of the women said, Nico nodding in response. She tapped it lightly, making Nico jump and yell "Ow!" The women stood up and looked at Umi. "She'll be fine, but there's no way she can perform. She'll probably need some crutches, she can't walk with that ankle."

Umi sighed. "We should probably reschedule the interview, too. We need people to pay attention to the making up, not Nico's ankle." she looked at Maki. "Maki, you can always go on stage alone."

Maki looked at Nico, then at Umi, then back at Nico. "I'm sorry Nico, but I think I'm going to perform..." she stood up and looked at Umi. "I'll do it."

The blue-haired woman nodded. "Okay. The performance is at 5:30, and the Christmas Eve special just started, so you still have some time."

"Okay." Soon, the entire room cleared out except for Maki. They'd taken Nico to put a cast on her foot and give her some crutches. Maki wanted to go with her, but she lied and said she wanted to practice more. She could tell Nico was upset by her decision to perform alone, and she didn't want to face her. She sighed and sat down in the middle of the practice room, looking at her legs. What was she going to do? Then, it hit her. She looked up from her legs, and had a wide smile on her face. "T-that's it! It's perfect, absolutely perfect!" she slowly stood up. "No one has to know what I'm doing...that'll make it an even bigger surprise!" Maki's plans of performing were now gone, and a new plan was forming in her mind.

* * *

><p>Time passed quickly, and KotoHono had just finished performing. They blew kisses and waved goodbye to their fans, before running off to backstage. There, Maki had been in her costume for <em>Diamond Princess no Yuutsu <em>costume for a while now, and her makeup was just touched up. "Showtime soon, Maki!" she heard someone call. Nico sat near the corner of the room, on a couch with a TV in front of it where all the performances could be viewed. Maki walked over to Nico.

"Hey, Nico." she bent down in front of the couch, her back visible to Nico instead of her front side. "Get on. I have an idea."

"W-what?! I can't be on your back the entire performance!" she quickly protested.

"I'm not stupid, idiot! I'm not doing that! Just get on!" Nico was hesitant, but slowly she grabbed on to Maki's back and she was lifted up.

The door opened. "Maki-san, it's showti-" the person was shocked. "What are you doing?!"

"Doing what I have to do." Maki walked right past the person with Nico on her back.

Nico was starting to get nervous. "Oi, Maki, what are you planning to do...?" she didn't receive an answer, and she then realized they were already walking on stage.

Maki took a deep breath, then began to speak into the mic attached to her ear. "Hello, everyone. I will not lie, when Nico broke her ankle, I was planning on performing myself. But, then I decided against it. The main plan was to have Nico and Maki perform together, not to have Maki perform. Also, I couldn't let myself. Nico would be hurt, and she's way too important to me." she paused, gulped, and then spoke again. "**_I WON'T GO ON STAGE WITHOUT MY GIRLFRIEND!_**" Everything went silent.

Even Umi was shocked. When Nozomi and Eli looked at her, she shook her head. "I told her to build up the relationship, remember? I didn't know she would do this!"

With the announcement, it was time for their fake relationship to begin.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello! I'm not gonna lie, I rushed this to ensure it was uploaded on Christmas Eve, so if you see any mistakes don't hesitate to tell me. I won't be updating tomorrow since tomorrow is Christmas, so Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays! I'll try to upload sometime later this week or next week.<strong>


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